| Author | Message | ||
     Buellgeek |
I rode my bike to work yesterday. It was maybe 37 degrees for a high. Very windy so that adds to the "feels like" value. I cranked and cranked and cranked until the battery went dead. I've experienced this once before (mild winter) but was able to start it by rolling on a little throttle while cranking. NOT yesterday! It actually started once and stalled as soon as I closed the throttle. Any insight will be appreciated. | ||
| Dualbuells |
I can attest to the new batteries do NOT like the cold. Last March I hauled my 1190SX from northern Michigan down to Daytona Beach for bike week only to discover when I arrived the battery DIED from the cold! Good thing that the EBR rep's had the truck/trailer in at Jim Walkers dealer in Daytona Beach area to set me up with a new battery under warranty. Just saying, if your riding in cold weather zones you should consider going old school battery! | ||
| 1_mike |
Hmm, while not 37 degrees, a few weeks ago, it was pretty cold here in ol sunny SoCal. But in the 40/43 degree early (4:30 am) morning temperatures, my RX started fine. About a week and a half of chilly mornings. One thing I do thought is to put the battery on a Shorai battery charger every two or three weeks and charge to full charge, then remove. No "storage". A standard charger and the bikes own charging system WILL charge the battery, the Shorai charger "equalizes" the cells. According to the guys at Shorai, this will not only will help make the battery last longer, it'll help keep the power up to the designed values. Worked great for me so far. Mike | ||
| Dualbuells |
I've been told that initially before cranking on the starter button that the ignition key turned on and the starter switch set to set, and let it "warm" up the internals of the battery, or something of that nature. I now keep mine on a Shorai charger when ever I'm not riding depending on summer or winter if it's on charge or store. | ||
| Buellgeek |
Hey 1_Mike, I keep my battery on a lithium compliant tender from Schumacher Electric. I should have been more clear in my seeking of help. The battery kicks butt! It probably cranked for 15 minutes overall. The bike started fine that morning in my garage too. The issue seems to be the lack of a proper "cold start enrichment" more than anything else. Keep the ideas, advice and experiences coming. I try to ride year round, my 2003 XB9R has NEVER hesitated to start. Many thanks- Joe | ||
| Sparky |
One thing to consider is if the bike may be approaching the "Low Fuel" light coming on condition, it is possible that when trying to start the bike while it is on the sidestand the fuel pump may not be completed submerged in fuel resulting in insufficient fuel pressure to start the bike. The solution is to hold the bike vertical off the sidestand and try starting again. If it starts and keeps running then you know that nothing is physically or electrically wrong. Just head to the gas station and fill up! This happened to me yesterday with my 1125R. When I held the bike vertically it would start and keep running. When put on the sidestand it would start to idle slower and quit. The odd thing is that the Low Fuel light was not on while doing this exercise. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Actually the cold-start overlay is quite rich. If you weren't low on fuel, you most likely flooded it. Pretty sure the EBRs have the "plug clear" routine from the Buell days. I know my RS has it, I've used it several times with success. Next time, try holding the throttle wide open, kill switch on RUN and turn on the key. Most times, you'll hear the fuel ignite, sometimes not. The ECM will fire the plugs 3 or 4 times in rapid succession. Try that 2 or 3 times then try to start. I ran my 1125s battery down several times when I first got her because the motor floods VERY easily when cold. Z | ||
| Snacktoast |
Pretty sure the EBRs have the "plug clear" routine from the Buell days. They do not. You now have a carbon canister integrated into the airbox, and it's job is to trap fuel vapors. Would not be wise to have the "plug clear" function that the 1125 models had. If there were a backfire through the throttle bodies, which is common when clearing plugs on a flooded 1125, you'd have a recipe for trouble, which is why it was not included. **Edited to clarify that I was referring to RX/SX not having this function. (Message edited by snacktoast on February 14, 2016) | ||
| Zac4mac |
Thanks Snack, wasn't sure. I have yet to do any significant work on the RX/SX line. Z |
